Welcome.
Hi, I'm Max. I'm …
- A Computer Science student at the University of Waterloo.
- A Research Intern at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics.
- An amateur musician and composer.
- A fan of strategy games and JRPGs.
There's more to me, of course — here's my resume if you're interested in that — but for now, I'll say that I've made things that I like to share. I have coding projects up on GitHub and Devpost, and I upload my music compositions to MuseScore, but for those of you who don't want to go through the trouble, I listed my favourites below.
Coding Projects
I first started programming in Grade 5, when I wanted to become a video game developer. Although I no longer make games, I still enjoy coding all the same.
- FunnyBone
A search engine that finds the funniest phrases related to a given prompt. According to a NLP research paper, some aspects of humour may follow linear patterns, so I used linear regression (a machine learning algorithm) to identify such patterns in single-word humour, which serves as the algorithm behind FunnyBone. - Maze Notepad
A web app that lets users quickly and easily create, solve, and share mazes. I used Kruskal's MST algorithm, among others, to procedurally generate fully-customizable layouts. This way, Maze Notepad removes the tedious aspects of maze-making, letting users focus on their creative ideas.
Music Compositions
I see music as an outlet for curiosity, expression, and exploration. The three compositions I selected each represent one of these aspects to me.
- A Bulgarian Bite
A song based on Ergen Deda; inspired by Bulgarian folk music, with elements of jazz and rock. To the best of my ability, I incoprorated elements of three Bulgarian folk styles to this song: Village music, Wedding music, and Obrabotki, and in conjunction with my own musical influences, this is my take on a cross-cultural composition. - Emerald Moonlight
A piano piece that expresses yearning and frustration, but also tenacity and boldness. I try to tell a story with this piece — the first time through the main section, the protagonist's wistful state is intensified by frustration, but the second time through, defiance wins out. It's easy to feel trapped in a cycle of negativity, but there's always hope that the situation will get better. - Bathtub Rafting
A composition that explores the symmetrical properties of music. The song switches keys and the melody follows, but its intervalic structure remains the same — we moved somewhere else, but our situation hasn't changed; like how rafting in a bathtub is trivial compared to sailing in open waters.